Adjustable bottom for containers



Dec. 26, 1933. B. J. DAVIDSON 1,940,348

ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM FOR CONTAINERS Filed June 15, 1932 Patented Dec. 26, 1933.

. 1,940,848 ADJUSTABLE B'o'rToM FOR CONTAINERS Bruce J; Davidson, Kew Gardens, N. Y., assignor to National Biscuit Company, New York, N. Y.-, a corporation of New Jersey 1 Application June 15,1932.

Serial No. 611,300

"r ,Claims'i (01. 205-44 My invention relates to containers for various classes of goods such as cookies, biscuit, cigars,

candy, and other small articles of merchandise,

which customarily are packed in layers orrows in the boxes, and sold in relatively small quantities to the customers. When the top layers have been sold, and the box is only partly filled, its contents are poorly displayed, and also customers sometimes pass'by a partly filled box when their attention would be drawn to a full box.

This is'p'articularly true in the case of biscuit and other bakery products that are packed in relatively deep'cartons and provided with glasshas been raised.

hand corner of Fig. 2.

blank.

front display covers. Because of the relatively J great depth of these boxes and the'covers attached'thereto, the goods are very poorly displayed when the boxes become only half full or lessf Among the objects of my invention is to provide an adjustable bottom for a biscuit carton or the like, which will be inserted in the box when the goods are beingpacked, but will not occupy any appreciable'amount of space or decrease the capacity of the carton ',-and yet can be raised and secured by cooperative actionof the overhanging flaps or flanges of the carton 'andthe'frame of the display cover to effectually display the re-J maining goods when the contents of the'box have been partly sold.

Referring nowto the drawing forming a part of my specification, Fig. l is a cross-sectional view of a carton embodying my inventionandfilled with biscuit.-- 1 I V Fig;- 2 shows the carton after a part of the bis cuithave been sold and the adjustable bottom Fig. 3 shows the blank from which the adjustable bottom preferably is made. 7 r

Fig. i is an enlarged view of the'upper left Fig. 5 is a-view similar to Fig.4 showing a temporary holding means which is used when the contents of'the box are heavy.

-Fig. 6 shows one end of a modified form of Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawing, the adjustable bottom is formed from a single piece of cardboard or other suitable material having a bottom 10 of such a size as to fit closely but yet to be freely movable within the carton, the bottom being defined by score lines llwhich provide side flanges 12, 13, and two opposite lifting flaps 14, '15 which are adapted to be bent upward along the score lines 11 so that they are perpendicular to the bottom 10 and fit closely inside the carton.

' The flaps 14, 15 are shown trapezoidal in outline,

but maybe rectangular or any other desiredshape, each of them having a transverse score, line .16, 17 intermediate its ends, andnear. its upper end a tongue 18,19'which .is cutouton three-sides and joined to the flaplon its fourth side along a score line'20, 21. .The flaps 14, 15 not only serve as a, means for-supporting the ad: justable bottom in raised'position, bnt'they, together with the flanges 12, 13, stiffen and. strengthen the bottom 10, and also prevent rubbing of the cakes on the sides of the carton. i In using my invention, theblank shown in Fig. 3 has the flanges 12,.13turned up at right angles. and 'also the flaps 1 1, 15, and is theninserted in the box or carton 22 with thebottom '10 resting. on the bottom of :the box, and the flanges and flaps lying incontact with the sides .Of the box. The flaps 14, 15 extend toward the top of the box, which is. then filled with biscuit 23in layers separated by plates 24.- Atthe top of the,box,.or Q, as it is called in the trade, there is an outwardly and downwardly extending flange or ex-. tension 25 on each side, over. whichthe, metallic frame 26 of adisplay cover is fitted. The display cover has a hingedv cover 27 with a glass, top through which the contents of the box are visible and aiiords easy access thereto. When a considerable part of the, contents of the box has. beensold, for example, about one-, half, the display cover is removed and the merchant will then take hold of the top edges of the flaps 14, 15 and lift'them up so:as to raise the bottom 10 and the remaining contents of the box. The flaps areraised up until the score lines 16, 17 are approximately evenwith tlie top of the box, when they'are bent down over-the flanges 25,

andthe tongues 18, 19 inserted under the flanges 25, as best showniniFigs. 4 and. 5. The display cover 26 is then slipped back over the flanges25 box, as shown in Fig. 5, to temporarily holdit in V place until the frame 26 is again placed over the flanges, which will then prevent the flanges 25 from bending up and releasing the tongues 18, 19.

' The thumb tack 28 can then be removed, Ordinarily the thumb tacks will not be necessary, but

are used temporarily in cases where either the weight of the contents or resiliency of the flanges '25 causes them to turn outward or upward from their positions as shown in Figs. 2 to 5.

It has been found in some cases where the material in the flaps 14, 15 is not very strong, or when the contents of the carton are heavy, that the flaps may tear outwardly from the ends of the score lines 20, 21. In order to overcome this, and still use light and cheap material, I have shown the modified form of Fig. 6, wherein the tongues 18, 19 and score lines 20, 21, are replaced on each flap by a tongue 29 and a score line 30, the latter extending the full width of the end flap.

The distance between the score lines 17, 30 is approximately equal to the width of the flanges 25 on the carton. In using this form of the invention, the bottom 10 will be raised by the flaps until the score lines 16, 1'1 are adjacent the top of the carton. The flaps are then bent outward on the score lines, and the tongues 29 turned in on the score lines 30 and tuckedunder the flanges 25, just as shown for the tongue 18 in Figs. 4 and 5. The frame 26 of the display cover is then replaced over the flanges 25 which prevents their turning outward to release the tongues.

Cartons of the kind herein shown are shipped with the flanges 25 turned horizontally inward over the Contents and the top is closed by a cardboard cover. When the box is opened the flanges are turned outward and downward so that the cover frame 26 can be slipped over them as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These cartons or Qs, as they arecalled in the trade, are made from strong and heavy waterproof duplex board that is quite stiff and possesses considerable resilience so that the flaps 25 always tend to return to vertical position. This resilience of the material from which the cartons are made causes the lower edges of the flanges 25 to exert considerable pressure outward an'd'topinch or grip'the flaps 14, 15 against the bead formed on the inside lower edge of the cover frame 26 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the contents of the carton are not of too great weight, this pressure against the flaps 14, 15 betweenthe flanges and frame, together with the frictional resistance between the flaps and top edge of the carton, is sufficient to hold the merchandise in raised position. For heavier merchandise, it is desirable to tuck the tongues under the flanges to aid in resisting the heavier pull.

Having thus described and illustrated one form of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 01. The combination with a rectangular container having outwardly turned top flanges, of an adjustable bottom for said container, side flaps secured to said bottom and lying adjacent opposite sides of the' container, each flap having a tongue intermediate its ends adapted to be enga'gedunder one of said top flanges to hold-the adjustable bottom above the bottom of the container.

2. The combination of a carton having straight sides, downwardly projecting extensions at the top of the carton, an adjustable bottom in the carton, lifting means secured to said bottom and being disposed adjacent the sides of the carton, tongues on said lifting means adapted to engage under said extensions when the bottom is lifted.

3. The combination with a rectangular container having outwardly turned top flanges, of an adjustable bottom for said container, side flaps secured to said bottom and lying adjacent opposite sides of the container, each flap having a tongue intermediateits ends adapted to be engaged under one of said top flanges to hold the adjustable bottom above the bottom of the container, and a frame fitting over the top of the carton andsaid flanges.

4. The combination of a carton having straight sides, downwardly projecting extensions at the top of the carton, an adjustable bottom in the carton, lifting means secured to said bottom and being disposed adjacent the sides of the carton, tongues on said lifting means adapted to engage under said extensions when the bottom is lifted, and means preventing said extensions from turning outwardly when engaged by said tongues.

5. The combination with a carton having downwardly turned top flanges, of an adjustable bottom therefor, lifting flaps secured to said bottom, each flap having a score line intermediate its ends and a tongue beyond said score line, said flaps being adapted to be bent on said score lines and said tongues engaged under said flanges when the bottom is in raised position, and means for preventing outward turning of said flanges when engaged by said tongues.

6. The combination with a rectangular container having outwardly and downwardly turnedtop flanges, of a display cover closing the top of said container and having a frame extending downwardly over said top flanges, an-adjustable bottom in said container having side flaps extending upwardly therefrom, said flaps being folded over the topof said container and ex tending between said top flanges and frame of the cover, said flanges and frame cooperating with saidflaps to hold the adjustable bottom above the bottom of said container.

7. The combination with a rectangular container having outwardly and downwardly turned top flanges, of a'display cover closing the top of said container and having aframe extending downwardly over said top flanges, an adjustable bottom in said container having side flaps ex-. tending upwardly therefrom, said flaps being folded over the top of said containerand extending between said top flanges and frame ofthe cover and being tucked between said top flanges and container, said flanges and frame cooperating with said flaps to hold the adjustable bottom above the bottom of said container.

BRUCE J.. DAVIDSON. 

